On the second Saturday of every month a small group of beer enthusiasts converge at Liquid Smoke. They come armed with their latest stories of success and failure, and, of course, their latest home-brewed beers, and a healthy thirst.
These folks are members of the Mid-State Brew Crew Homebrew club, and are just a portion of a much bigger industry with hubs across the country (and the globe)?the world of craft brewed beer.
Here in Murfreesboro we live in the shadow of four large craft breweries (Nashville’s Yazoo, Boscos, Blackstone and Big River), and local beer aficionado, home brewer and brand-new businessman John Cummins wants to take you there, in a white 14-passenger van.
Cummins runs Nashville Brews Cruise, a day trip to three of Nashville’s breweries for tastings and a tour, with transportation, commentary and a grab bag of swag and snacks.
The Dream
While it may be new for Nashville, the Brews Cruise is not a unique concept. In fact, Cummins first got the idea to launch a Nashville brewery tour from the original, the Asheville Brews Cruise, founded by Mark and Trish Lyons.
Cummins says it was a “no brainer” to create a sister tour here in Nashville, where visitors are always looking for fun ways to discover the city, and many locals aren’t even aware of the wealth of brews. It’s an arrangement that sits well with local brewery owners like Blackstone’s Kent Taylor as well.
“I think it’ll be great for Nashville, and great for the beer industry,” Taylor told a Brews Cruise group, while he answered questions about his elegant yet comfortable restaurant, and sung the praises of his master brewer, David Miller.
Cummins held his first Brews Cruise earlier this year, then duty called, and his military service put the tours on hold. Now Cummins is back, and ready to hit the road to Nashville’s award-winning craft breweries.
The Deal
Any one can go visit one of Nashville’s fine craft beer breweries, but the likelihood is, once you’ve visited one or two, you won’t be in very good shape to drive to the next one. The Nashville Brews Cruise not only provides transportation, but Cummins craftily engineered the tour to end at one of the brew pub restaurants, close to downtown entertainment, with dinner options at hand.
Tours usually mount up around 1 p.m. and run Wednesday through Saturday. It costs $40 for an individual pass on the Brews Cruise, and $75 for a couple, and that includes three tastings and a behind-the-scenes tour at one of the featured breweries. Special group rates for more than six people and local discounts are also available.
“The tastings alone would run about $32,” Cummins said. “If you factor the gas into that, you’re really getting va deal.”
Brews Cruise customers really get the VIP treatment (and generally larger beer samples), and Cummins has staff members and even brewery owners at some locations willing to stop by and chat about their beer with curious cruise-goers. And if they don’t answer all your questions, Cummins really knows his stuff, despite his modest claims that he’s new to brewing.
The Brews
Craft brewing utilizes traditional methods, and according to Vince Cottone, the man who first coined the term, the beer must be “handcrafted, uncompromised” and made “using traditional methods and ingredients.”
Blackstone offers hand pumped craft beers made on premises, so customers at the elegant, expansive brew pub and restaurant are treated to beer that’s never been bottled or kegged. Some local favorites include the universally appealing Nut Brown Ale, in the style of Northern England with a smooth finish and nutty hints, and their full-bodied St. Charles Porter.
Yazoo’s brewery and Yazoo Tap Room, located in the historic Marathon Motor Works building, are some of the best kept secrets in Nashville. Saturday Brews Cruises will have the opportunity to tour Yazoo’s one room brewery, and relax in the heavy brick building’s brew pub, where locals converge on a daily basis. Signature beers include their cloudy Hefeweizen, with a delicious banana aroma, Mexican-style Dos Perros, and citrusy, American standard Pale Ale.
Boscos of Nashville is located near Vanderbilt University in Hillsboro Village, and is one of four Boscos locations, including a newly opened branch in Cool Springs. Boscos is perhaps best known for its brick oven creations, and its Cellerman contest, where one lucky visitor taps a keg of their daily cask conditioned ale by hand and is entered into a competition where they can win a chance to attend the Great American Beer Festival in Denver, Colo. Their Famous Flaming Stone Beer, Bombay IPA, Germantown Alt, and Isle of Skye Scottish Ale are always on tap, and special brews are constantly on rotation.
Located within walking distance from local attractions like the Country Music Hall of Fame and Ryman Auditorium, Big River brewery and restaurant offer a full menu with extremely generous portions, and a spectrum-spanning beer tasting that includes one or two special seasonal offerings. It’s hard to tell if you’re in a sports bar, classy restaurant or brewery, but the answer is yes, you’re in all three. Beer high points include their award-winning Sweet Magnolia American Brown Ale with just a touch of chocolate from the malt, and their current German-style Alt beer. Tasting also includes Southern Flyer Light Lager, for those looking for a lighter beer.
